consideration of our wise Parliament in hopes their wisdomes will take due care to prevent the impending miseries of our Nation for very many thousands will rather have moderate Episcopacy up then this senselesse government of Lay-Elders which are indeede no Rulers but meere stalking Horses or Asses or a disguise wherein the Presbyters may plunder the people of liberty of conscience pretending it is not the Art of Cleargy only pritty judgling but no more of this stultum est obsurdas opiniones accuratius refellere I will proceede to treate of that part or division of this worke lies next in order to wit of spirituall Elders in generall and that our Lay-Elders may not rightly be taken for such Every Bishop Presbyter Pastor or other grave and reverend Divine is rightly and truely called a spirituall Elder and to prove this my assertion I neede not wander far to fetch authority from rare Authors the Apostles themselves have saved me a labour as Peter the 1.5.1 The Elders which are among you I exhort who am also an Elder c. John in his 2. and 3. Epistles stiles himselfe and Elder in the second thus The Elder unto the elect Lady in the third The Elder unto the welbeloved Gains and wee may reade Acts 6.6 because the word of God should not be left and the people to serve tables wherefore the Apostles desired the people to looke out among themselves 7 men of honest report full of the Holy Ghost and of wisedome whom they admitted into holy Orders by praying and laying on of hands who were called Elders so Paul Acts 14.23 when he passed through severall Countries upon his being stoned at Lystra in Licaonia ordained them Elders in every Church Elders in that place by all Translators being rendred Presbyters or Bishops men of holy Orders to succeed the Apostles who being thereunto thus lawfully called have Gods promise to let his holy spirit rest upon them even unto the end of the world Math. 28.20 It being promised to such as teache his people to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you even to such who had Commission to teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost Wee may reade likewise Iames 5.14 If any be sicke among you let him send for the Elders of the Church and let him pray over him anointing him with oyle in the name of the Lord the word Elder being there translated Presbyter which is of the same signification with us as Sacerdos was under the Law There are many more places of Scripture to prove spirituall Elders in the Church But I will briefely shut up this point with the 20 of the Acts where it appeares how Paul at Melitum called the Elders from Ephesus verse the 27. and telling them that they must see his face no more he charges them verse the 28. that they should take heede unto themselves and to all the flocke over which the holy Ghost had made them Bishops to feede the Church of God by all which and other Texts of Scripture it is evident that the word Elder generally in the new Testament signifies feeding and praying Ministers not loytering lazie Lay-Elders Officers no more requisite in a Church then a company of drones are usefull in a hive of Bees unnecessary evills meere horseleeches to sucke the peoples bloud who have no neede of Phlebotomy but I leave the Jewish Laiety which I hope will no waies arrogate this Office unto themselves though their holy Fathers their high Priests endued with great store of impudence and ignorance tells them they are instated into holy Orders by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when with hands lifted up at their elections they tooke the Covenant by which Covenant I would have them to understand they are to degrade themselves from their Office for it being on foote in Scotland is no warrant for them to continue it heere in England the words of the Covenant being That wee shall endeavour the reformation of Religion in the Church of England according to Gods holy word and I cannot finde one Text in Scripture to warrant their calling in the Church they being Lay-men nor will that argument which some frame from the Levites having severall places of trust about the Temple serve to prove their Office and Government It is true that in Moses time Gershon Cohath and Merari Levy his three Sons had the Office to pitch to take downe and to beare up and downe the Tabernacle and the vessells thereof the Gershouites charge was to carry the coverings and hangings of the Tabernacle the Cohathites the chiefe things within the Sanctuary and the Merarites had charge of the wood-workes and the rest of the instruments of the Tabernacle This was their Office during their abode in the Wildernesse whilst they were on their Journey but afterwards when they were setled in the promised Land David changed their Office some being appointed to have charge of the Treasure of the Temple 1 Chron. 26.20 others to be Overseers and Judges others to be Porters and Singers 1 Chron. 23.4 The Singers were to be clad in linnen robes 2 Chron. 5.12 hence doe some argue that the government by Elders is no more then what was in Davids time when the Levites were The Levites were Judges and Overseers to which objection I give this answer God by his divine and eternall decree had appointed the Tribe of Levi to serve at his Alter and minister unto the people as wee finde it recorded in the 10 of Deut. verse 8. God seperated the Tribe of Levi to beare the Arke of the Covenant of the Lord and to stand before the Lord to minister unto him and to blesse in his name even to this day And Deut. 11. and the 5. The Lord thy God hath chosen him out of all thy Tribes to stand and minister in the name of the Lord him and his sons for ever And Moses in the 33 of Deut. verse 8. prayes That the Vrim and Thummim of the Lord be with thine holy One meaning in that place one of the Tribe of Levi who verse the 10 shall teach Jacob thy Judgements and Israel thy Law they shall put insense before thy face and burnt offrings upon thine Altar It is manifest by those places of Scripture that it was Gods holy will that the Tribe of Levi should serve at his Altar all of them being instated in holy orders by imposition of hand and although amongst them there were certaine degrees according to which Paul writ in the 1 to Tim. 3.13 that they that have ministred well get themselves a good degree as Godwyn in his Jewish Antiquities fol. 22 observes as when they had been a moneth initiated they were to be presented unto God Numb 3.15 and they were consecrated by imposition of hands at 25 yeeres old Num. 8.24 And they were to carry the Tabernacle up downe from 30 to 50 and afterwards they were to oversee and
Lay-Elders and this were agreeable to the word of God the power of the keyes or of Ecclesiasticall Authority being given to the Apostles and their Successors Apostles and Ministers not Lay-Elders I say the power of the keyes being given to all the Apostles in generall not to Peter only as is affirmed by Cajetan in his book de primatu Romanae Ecclesiae cap. 5. and by Jerome in his first booke against Jovinianus quod sine dubio emnes Apostoli a Christo non a Petro susceperunt claves And the Holy Ghost is plaine in it whatsoever yee shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven Math. 18.18 and the 1 of the Corinth 5.4 In the name of our Lord Jseus Christ when yee are gathered together and my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ to deliver such an one unto Satan c. And Joh. 20.23 Christ came and stood in the midst of his Disciples after his resurrection and said peace be unto you receive yee the Holy Ghost whose soever sinnes yee remit they are remitted unto them c. All which places of Scripture plainely shew that the keyes were given to all the Apostles in generall though in the 16 of Mathew they were given to Peter alone that is to be understood saith one that Peter was to have power over the rest of the Disciples but as to others their power was all alike And Christ in the 28 of Math. 19. dielegating this power unto the Apostles in generall bid them goe and teach all Nations and verse the 20. Loe I am with you even unto the end of the world he promising his spirit to be with them that is in their succession to the worlds end their Successors though ordained by men having the same power of jurisdiction the Apostles had as Augustine in his first booke de Doctrina Christiana cap 18. plainely affirmes Potestas data Apostolis successoribus non data suit propter meos sed propter Ecclesiaem qua propter perseverante Ecclesia potestas data Apostolis aebet perseverare I have been a little too tedious in this particular but Reader your pardon it was only to shew who have Ecclesiasticall power and are to medle in the Church and it is plaine they are the Apostles and their Successors men lawfully ordained and having a lawfull calling thereunto 1 Tim. 3.7.4.14 by the laying on of hands of the presbytery of the first borne of Israel the representative Church Acts 6.6 Hebrewes 12.23 not rashly 1 Tim. 5.22 but consultly instating such in holy Orders as are blamelesse apt to teach not covetous not a Novice lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the Devill 1 Tim. 3. he must upon examination likewise be found to be one which may be able by sound Doctrine both to exhort and convince the gainsayers Titus 1.9 and such as these being admitted into holy Orders to teach and instruct others have Apostolicall power in their Assemblies to binde and loose upon earth and so dic Ecclesiae expressed in the 18 of Mathew the 16. is to be understood of men in holy Orders assembled together to binde and loose upon earth 1 Cor. 5.4 as I have already shewed you It doth not follow that every Presbyter in his Parish with his Classe of Elders hath this power it were absurde to alledge it I have shewen you that this power was given to the Apostles in generall and their Successors and the spirituall Consistory must consist of such 1 Cor. 5.4 Now Lay-Elders can no waies be said Successors to the Apostles they neither being instated in holy Orders nor within the rules prescribed by St. Paul to be admitted thereunto unlesse wee must in this topsiturvy time of ours send our grave wise Doctors to the Scoole againe to be taught by silly Lay-Elders which scarce know their A. B. C. not fit to exhort much lesse to convince such and so tread Antipodes to the practise of the Primitive Churches obtruding as Laiety no waies claming from Levi to be Rulers and Governours in our Church such a Laiety as I may justly say are meere Idols in our Church so that wee have wrought a priâ—y worke and brought about a fine Reformation instead of Pictures and Crucifixes in stones and windowes which with much zeale were demolished wee have placed in our Churches walking Images things that represent Elders and which the people worship as Elders but really and truely are none in the litterall sence they are not Elders grave wise and expert as I have shewed you and admit they were yet they are Lay-men not truely Church Officers as spirituall Elders and are not to joyne with spirituall Elders in any Church affaires so that for the people to worship them as Elders or to rise up before them is to commit Idolatry to prevent the occasion of which good King Hezekiah caused the brazen Serpent which was set up for a good end to heale the people that were bitten of Serpents Numbers 21. to be broken in peeces 2 of Kings 18.4 In imitation of which good Act as also in commiseration of the free borne people of England groaning under the Tyranny and slavery of this worse then high Commission Court I hope our happy Parliament who hitherto have shewen themselves ready and willing to redresse grievances will not in this time of necessity crying loude unto them for helpe forget their wonted practise of goodnesse to relieve distressed people and take off the heavy pressures of the Kingdome but will rid the people of this one and only grievance in the Kingdome neither warranted by Gods Law nor the Lawes of this Kingdome any further then it is their pleasures to continue it And they will ingage a multitude of prayers for their prosperous proceedings in all their undertakings the which that they may speedily doe the Almighty God of Heaven who art a present remedy in all distresses and a ready helpe at hand for them that are in misery the only wise God the great Counsellour and ruler of all mens hearts dictate this to his servants in the Parliament that wee may be freed from this intollerable slavery to Gods glory the Parliaments honour and our owne joy and comfort in the Lord Jesus Amen Thus have I briefely couched together some collections and short meditations of mine owne which to the indifferent and not forestalled judgement will give some satisfaction in the businesse I have treated of that these fine feathered Buzzards Lay-Elders deckt with Ecclesiasticall Plumes are meere counterfeits Semiramis Elephants which were but stuffed oxe hides which had a gallant undaunted Army in suspence counterfeit Diamonds not such as Christs Spouse lookt comely with Cant. 1 9. Bolton halfe crownes not lawfully stampt with Caesars Image Scotch twenty-pences the base coyne of a copper Nation not currant English but such as every one may lawfully deny and I am confident the wise and judicious Reader seriously considering this will not with the yong Dotterell Birds be inticed with chaffe to be caught in this net though never so privily laied but will beare off and keepe himselfe free till he see them fall in their owne mischiefes and themselves caught in the share which they have privily laid for others and if unadvisedly through ignorance he hath suffered himselfe to be drawen in to consent unto this government yet he will in time unintangle himselfe from the bondage thereof As for the perverse and obstinate Presbyter which hath wedded the government together with some fat Benefice and cannot divorce himselfe from the one without leaving the other having vowed perpetuall incumbency to himselfe I know his heart is hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sin and I cannot diswade him from his Classicall beneficiall cure Let him that is uncleane be uncleane still spoken to obstinate and wilfull sinners for my part I doe not seeke to wash Blackmoores I 'le give him leave at his Sunday dinners and spirituall pig-feasts when none is by but his Lay-Elders to raile against me and would extreamely thanke the pontificall Parson would he but write any thing subscribed with his owne hand in contradiction to what I have here writ that I might have further occasion to anatomize the tyranny of him and his Elders In the meane time what I have heere writ shall suffice hoping shortly to heare that this Government will be abolished so that wee shall neither neede to wrestle any longer against it in words nor with Peter to draw the sword to cut off the High Priest servants care Malcus who had he lived till now would have beene Crop the leader in this teame of Lay-Elders but I say I hope to see these Hobby-Horses unyoked againe before they run to woode with the Church for they must needs goe whom the Devill drives And having loosed them out of their Ecclesiasticall Tresses wee will turne the Jades to their old Rustich drudgeries againe which will be the better for them the sooner it is because they will the more easily come to themselves againe and it cannot be worse for us to see them reclaimed from their wincing conditions and our selves freed from the evill thereof So that I conclude this worke with an earnest desire that this may speedily come to passe and Quo citius to Melius FINIS
to a multiplication of tyranny and that whereas formerly they had but one Bishop which did something extort upon them they now had a company of ignorant Presbyters which did much outvie the Bishop in domineering power over them they then began to champe upon the bit they had taken into their mouthes and began to mutiny against Mr. Calvin who together with his two associats the perswaders of the people to embrace and the contrivers of this kind of government were in the heate of these discontents banished the Towne Mr. Calvin was now put to his shifts to appease this tumult and when he had cast upon all assaies he concluded none so probable to take effect as to admit some of the Citizens to joyne in government with the Presbyters and so they might perhaps admit him with his new device of Presbyterian Ministry into the City againe which fell out accordingly for a few yeeres after the Citizens of Geneva had banished Calvin saith juditious Hooker in his preface to his booke intituled Ecclesiasticall policy such was the levity and inconstancy of those people some places being in the interim fallen voide and in want of a Minister that they were not so willing to be rid of Calvin before as they were now importunate to have him backe againe and with severall letters and ingagements did court him to returne unto them Calvin considered with himselfe that now was the time to make knowne unto them he would be no more tennant at will under them but if they would have him to be their Teacher againe they must be content to admit a compleate forme of Discipline which both they and their Pastors should be sworne to observe for ever after of which Discipline the maine and principall parts were these a standing Ecclesiasticall Court to be established perpetuall Judges in that Court to be their Ministers others of the people anually chosen twice so many as they to be Judges together with them in the same Court And these two sorts to have power over mens manners to determine all kinde of Ecclesiasticall causes and to punish as far as with excommunication all sorts of people This proposition of his did some what trouble them for they considered that this government was little better then Popish Tyranny presented to them under a new forme for though for every Minister there were two Lay-men to fit and give voice in the Ecclesiasticall consistory yet they feared that the filling up of those seates was but to please the minde of the people to thinke their owne sway something when as things were to come to tryall their Pastors learning would over perswade simple people who knowing the time of their Presidentship to be but short would alwaies stand in feare of their Ministers perpetuall authority but notwithstanding these considerations such were the straits the Citizens had brought themselves into through their owne giddinesse that now they must of necessity imbrace Calvin upon these or any other conditions unlesse to their endlesse disgrace they would with ridiculous lightnesse dismisse him whom they had with all earnestnesse and after an importunate and most urgent manner desired to returne unto them wherefore having driven themselves upon these exigents they admit of Mr. Calvin and his compound consistory Anno Domini 1541. And here was the beginning amongst Christians of Lay-Elders in their Church Government which you may perceive Reader through necessity by a inconstant people in a troubled State was accepted of Now good morrow to your Infant worship good Mr. Lay-Elder or rather your spurious brat of a Geneva brable I must tell you you may be a handsome fellow but you looke ill favouredly in an English habit but may you say unto me your Taylor or High Priest was too blame for no strange thing now a dayes for Taylor and Priest to meet in one person to put you into the English mode Let me tell you in your owne Country Phrase you beseeme your Office as a Sowe beseemes a saddle you looke as strangely amongst us as an Owle at noone day you must not thinke to make us daire under you wee le rather like a flocke of little birds fright and chase you backe againe to your Arabian Desart when wee come to Geneva wee le be governed by you in the meane time wee do not desire you should governe us nor indeede because you are so rightly entertained in Geneva and Holland are you fit guests for us For Geneva was a free City governed by Elders and Towne Burgers before ever Mr. Calvin came there who admitted some of those Aldermen yearely into his Classis there were some little more collour for that government amongst us if our Judges Justices Aldermen might be admitted into your respective Classes but there is no such matter in our new Eldership but the most silly fellowes generally are pitched upon to make Lay-Elders of and truely this is the greatest peece of pollicy I have observed from our Presbyter or High Priests in our Country for by this meanes they themselves will rule the roast the Lay-Elders being meere Jacks to be wound up and downe at pleasure and the better to compasse this their ends and designe some of them have wronged and abused the Parliament in nominating unto them tryars for the sufficiency of the Elders to be chosen in their respective Classes so insufficient and ignorant that cannot write their owne names the best knowledge they have being to misreade a little English and this I am informed was done by the present Incombent at Standishe and some others nay more then so when the Ordinance came downe and that such men were by the Parliament appointed tryars to be Lay-Elders themselves which the people not mindfull to thwart any thing the Parliament by the mouth of their Minister desired voted it so and so they were Judges themselves and the parties to be judged of themselves Like as if a Justice were made a Jaylor or a Marshall should commit a Souldier To commit a man to himselfe which is against the rules of Law and reason but no more of this I conceive that this government being set up at Geneva is no president imitable for England only I thinke it were not amisse to follow their fashion a little before intangling of our selves in this That seing our fundamentall Lawes in Church subverted and our liberties betrayed into the hands of Lay-Elders for whose government there is no warrant in Scripture I meane their governing Ecclesiasticall affaires Wee should rowse up a godly spirit in our selves and doe as the then free Citizens did by the domineering Presbyters in Geneva banishing them thence I say wee should kicke these Caterpillars out of our Kingdome and sweeping this rubbish from the doores of our Temples and whipping these money changers thence beate the fellowes into their old trades and handicrafts againe It might I am confident procure some more warrantable and moderate government then this which I refer to the serious